Rooney Mara on the rape scene in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - VIDEO

Rooney Mara has described rape scenes from the upcoming blockbuster "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as “intense” and “really challenging”.

The film adaption of the Stieg Larsson's novel sees Mara take on the demanding role of Lisbeth Salender. As well as a complete physical tranformation for the role, the 26-year-old plays out a shocking and brutal rape scene. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the rising star said it was important the scene remained true to the book.

Rooney Mara the new IT girl as Vanity Fair cover beckons for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
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She also spoke about the controversial teaser poster in which she posed topless: “I was supportive of it. I understand why there was a lot of controversy. People have a hard time with strong females and with nudity. But I think had I been doing something incredibly violent on the poster, people wouldn’t have had a problem with it. That sort of says a lot about the world that we live in. It’s just a teaser poster. I think it did just that. It teased people.”

Directed by “Fight Club’s” David Fincher, the trilogy promises to present audiences with the graphic tale of the unwavering Salender, a champion computer hacker who is recruited by Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to help solve an age old mystery.

Speaking to Esquire about playing the role of rogue journalist Blomkist, Craig said audiences better be prepared for the gore.

"This is adult drama. I grew up, as we f*cking all did, watching 'The Godfather' and that, movies that were made for adults. And this is a $100 million R-rated movie," he said. "Nobody makes those anymore. And Fincher, he's not holding back. They've given him free rein. He showed me some scenes recently, and my hand was over my mouth, going, Are you f*cking serious?"

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is due to be released on December 21.